The first week of being home had been the absolute worse. After confirming her identity to the police, Sophie dreaded being taken to the hospital with her parents. She had to deal with the ugly blue hospital gown, an IV, and rotten television while laying in bed doing nothing. The bed felt lumpy and stiff to her. Sophie had grown accustomed to sleeping on leaves and the dirt ground. The bed that she had at home was even worse. It felt like a marshmallow that encased her body, surrounding her. The sensations alarmed her. She was used to those sleepless nights being on lookout for other Yautja or humans that were out to kill her. Guan'thwei was certainly a big help.
Her thoughts drifted to Guan'thwei. She couldn't help but miss the alien. But it was just an alliance to get off the planet. Those days were over.
The doctor returned to the room with Jeff and Irene sitting in the two chairs beside her.
"What's the verdict?" Sophie asked.
He pushed up his square glasses, the doctor being middle aged. "Under the circumstances, your overall health is good." The doctor then checked the blood work records. "Hemoglobin's 10.8—you're anemic, that's why we're giving you iron. Potassium's low—we're giving you an electrolyte solution with your IV. Sodium's over 150, way too high. You may experience swelling in your extremities as you rehydrate and discharge the salt. In spite of your dietary deficiencies there's no sign of mental deterioration."
Sophie tried not to laugh, but couldn't help it.
"What's so funny?" The doctor asked.
"Sorry," Sophie laughed. "Mental deterioration…anyway, why do my joints still ache? I was always running around where I was. I'm in shape aren't I?"
"You are quite physically built. But your joints ache because of vitamin deficiency and protein deficiency. What were you eating?"
Sophie thought back to the Game Preserve. "Mostly meat, my kidnappers didn't have fruit very much where I lived." She answered. Sophie remembered how awful the food tasted here. The chicken and steak tasted bland compared to the hell-hounds and strange fish she ate on the Game Preserve. Her taste buds were still adjusting to Earth as well. Every sense and emotion of her whole self as well.
"Your body chemistry and your exposure to the elements would normally lead to irritability, depression, anxiety, periods of self-reproach. It's almost like schizophrenia. Different sides of your personality might come to life, speak out, act out." The doctor explained.
"That's all behind me. I'm fine now."
Jeff and Irene looked to each other when she said that. They knew that their daughter was far from fine. Every day had been a struggle for Sophie trying to adjust.
"You're in counseling?" The doctor asked.
Sophie looked away, which she did whenever she was unsettled. "Yes."
"How is that going for you?"
"Terribly. I hate it." There was so much animosity in her voice, Jeff and Irene were taken back by how brutally honest their daughter was. They had been taking her to these counseling sessions and Sophie was having a difficult time opening up to them. Especially since she didn't want to talk about what happened. They were certain it would help her.
"Why do you hate it?"
"I don't want to talk about it, I just want to move on."
"From what your parents have told me, you've been having an extremely difficult time adjusting to living at home."
It wasn't just at home, it was civilization itself. Not living in a jungle. But of course, Sophie couldn't say that. She turned back to the doctor with a hard look on her face and eyes, slightly startling him. She looked fierce, she looked like a predator. "I'm not in the jungle. I'm home. I'm alive. I'm glad to be back. I just want out of here. I survived being attacked, so many people have tried to kill me that I've lost count, I lived in a war zone. If I can survive that, I can survive staying at home with a roof over my head and all the food I can eat. I don't need these stupid vitamins or stupid counseling sessions."
The doctor let out a sigh. The girl was too prideful for her own good to go into counseling, course he was taken back by what Sophie had said. She hadn't spoken too much about what actually happened. None of the police or anyone for that matter knew what was going on with Sophie Pace.
That was when Irene intervened, unable to take anymore. "Sophie, please." She begged. "It's for your own good."
"I don't want to." Sophie said in a hard tone.
It was Jeff's turn to argue with her while the doctor stood there awkwardly. Irene let out an exhausted breath. She thought things were going to go back to normal after Sophie returned, now she was dealing with someone who was nothing like the daughter she knew. The Sophie she knew was once kind and sweet, but after the attack became paranoid and withdrawn. Now, this Sophie was the complete opposite. She wasn't afraid of anything, especially speaking her mind, and seemed much more…like a soldier…like she had returned home from a war.
"Would you like it if we spoke alone?" The doctor asked, turning over to Jeff and Irene. Sophie was grateful that he said that.
"Yes, please." Sophie answered.
Irene looked heartbroken, but said nothing as Jeff led her out. Sophie knew her mother was probably outside crying now.
"Your parents are only trying to do what's best for you, they care about you." The doctor stated.
Now, Sophie felt a twinge of guilt for kicking them out. "I know." She muttered, looking at the floor, trying not to cry.
She knew that they only wanted her to get better. Sophie didn't want to hurt them, but there was no way she could tell them the truth. They would send her to the nut house. It was for their own good. Sophie kept telling herself they would get through this eventually.
"Well, you're over twenty-one, we can't force you to go to counseling, though we would highly recommend it," He explained, changing the subject. "The psychologist doesn't believe you suffer from PTSD, but believes you suffer a psychological problem similar to Stockholm syndrome."
"I hate my captors. I killed them," Sophie said bluntly. "I, um, am just having trouble adjusting to this new life is all. If I want any help, I'll come to you."
The doctor didn't seem convinced, but wasn't able to do anything. "Are you still interested in seeing a dentist?"
"Hell yes," Sophie replied with enthusiasm. Tooth pains felt like dying to her. They didn't have toothpaste and toothbrushes on the Game Preserve, so wiping her teeth with water was all she could do. The dentist was the only thing she agreed with her parents and the doctor on.
"I hope you get better, Sophie." The doctor told her before walking out of the room.
Sophie hoped soo too. She walked out of the ward repeatedly apologizing to her mother, who was still sobbing over being kicked out of the room. Every step was an effort.
Bryson burst into the room, he had changed dramatically from the four years she had been gone. Bryson had chopped his overgrown dirty blond locks and had facial hair, but his brown eyes remained the same. He no doubt looked older, like a college kid slacker. Bryson opened his arms wide and pulled Sophie into a hug. "Sophie! God damn!" he hollered as she struggled in his arms. Hugs still felt foreign to her as well, on the Game Preserve, whenever someone wrapped their arms around her, they were trying to kill her. "God damn. God damn. God damn."
They were both almost overcome with emotions. Bryson then placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at Sophie, noticing the changes in her appearance. She lost the baby fat in her face, her brown hair was chin length and unkempt along with the rest of her appearance. She just wore a sleeveless black shirt and grey sweats with sneakers. The scars were clearly visible, something Bryson always remembered her being ashamed of.
"You're alive, you're fucking alive!" Bryson exclaimed.
Sophie laughed, thrilled to see her best friend. "I beat the odds! I killed 'em!"
She was being literal when she said that she killed them, which escaped Bryson's notice. He merely smiled wide like an idiot, just as he always did. "Christ, they really put you through the grinder, didn't they?"
"Don't worry, I killed them." Sophie reassured him.
Bryson didn't know whether to be disturbed or happy for Sophie, exacting revenge on the people who did this to her. She was so nonchalant about taking a life. Little did he know, how many lives Sophie had taken. Bryson poked at her arm, the slash marks visible from Kvar'thwei's first attack with his wrist blades. "I see you've added new scars to your collection," Bryson noted, poking at a burn scar near her elbow. Then it was silent. Sophie always wore baggy clothing after the attack, ashamed and embarrassed by the scars. Now, here she was wearing laid back clothing and clearly displaying the scars. Almost like she was proud of them.
"Did you make sure they suffered?" Bryson asked with an absolute straight face.
Now, that, made Sophie smile, the first time she truly smile since returned to Earth. The thought of killing Kvar'thwei and his other Bad Blood friends brought her pure pleasure. "Fuck yeah, I did!" she grinned.
Sophie knew her parents would've been so disturbed by that statement, but Bryson was more understanding. Bryson flickered her forehead like he used to. "Good, them fuckers deserved it after what they did to you." He then said, accepting that they deserved to die a painful death.
"They sure did," Sophie nodded. She couldn't have agreed with him anymore on that statement.
"Now that we're both twenty-one, we should get a fucking drink." Bryson swore, wrapping an arm around Sophie and walking around his apartment. Her eyes flickered to the opposite side of the street. There were a couple of paparazzi taking photos of them. She noticed a white van beside them. Another stupid fucking news station, they still wouldn't leave her alone.
His apartment smelled like apple cinnamon and Sophie wrinkled her nose with disgust. She loved the smell of the rainforest and the humid jungle. So many wonderful scents, all of them natural. This one was artificial.
They both sat on the porch drinking a beer. It tasted like piss to Sophie, but she drank it anyway. Bryson noticed her making a face after taking another sip. "Want a Mountain Dew?" he asked.
"Yes, please." She nearly coughed.
Aside from Royce and Isabelle, Bryson was the only true person who could read her, even after not knowing the true story behind her disappearance. Sophie was glad that they weren't out of sync. Ever since she arrived here, Sophie felt like she did when she first arrived on the Game Preserve.
Alone and everything out to get her.
Bryson opened the can of cold Mountain Dew and handed it to her. It had been so long. She had forgotten the citrus taste of the sparkling soda. "Good times, right?" Bryson smiled, sipping his beer. "Want to play some video games?"
"You haven't changed one bit." Sophie sighed.
"I don't play as much as I used to, saving up for college. But, it would be nice to play again wouldn't it?"
Sophie sighed slightly, looking down at her soda. She looked over the small balcony of his apartment into the California suburb. "These past four years…I feel like I've been living in a video game. One of those violent, bloody PvP ones. No joke. I was always killing, hunting and trying to stay alive."
Bryson lowered his beer. Sophie hadn't told him what had happened yet. All he had known was that his best friend disappeared, and she stated through a family statement that she had been kidnapped. "I didn't want to ask you since it's too soon, but…if you want to talk…I'm here." Bryson said softly.
Sophie thought long and hard. "Beats talking to some stranger about it."
"But, they could help you."
"They couldn't because I can never tell them the truth. I would be receiving counseling over a lie that I made up. I wouldn't be counseled over the truth, over the conflict."
"You lied to them?" Bryson inquired. "About what?"
"About being kidnapped by gang members," Sophie sighed, finally relieved to have said that aloud. To someone else from her past other than Isabelle and Royce. "None of that is true."
"The story you told the police and press? None of that is true?"
"Yep."
"Then, what really happened? Why did you lie about it?" Bryson was confused by this. He knew his friend had changed since the attack all those years ago. But this was something else entirely. Or was it? Sophie always seemed to be hiding something.
Sophie snickered, taking a big gulp of Mountain Dew. This was where it cut off. That was the only truth she could reveal to her old friend. She examined the aluminum can of the green can, pretending to be fascinated by it. Sophie wondered if she could trust Bryson with the truth, if he would actually believe her. It was on the tip of her lips. She wanted to tell someone so bad it tore her apart on the insides.
"Maybe someday I'll tell you the truth," Sophie answered. "But, on that day, if it ever comes, we're going to need alcohol. Lots of alcohol."
Sophie woke up on the floor, tangled in her blankets. The carpet felt good to her. The bristles reminded her of the pine needles and leaves she'd sleep on at the Game Preserve. Just underneath her bed was the Combi-Stick that Guan'thwei had given her, as well . She didn't no what to do with it now that it was hers. There was no way she could go out in public with it. She reached out and tapped the metal that was decorated with bones, leather string and Yautja symbols.
Sophie could hear footsteps on the outside of her roof. Two of them. She knew it was Royce and Isabelle, but Sophie nonetheless grabbed the Combi-Stick. She was always aware of her surroundings.
Her bedroom window door slid open and in came Royce and Isabelle. They both frowned at her laying on the carpet with only a small blanket. "You can knock you know," Sophie told them.
"Don't want to draw attention," Royce simply stated.
'Typical Royce,' Sophie rolled her eyes. "You're drawing attention by climbing through my window, you ape."
Royce ignored her comment and collapsed on her bed, scooting over for Isabelle to sit, before making himself comfortable. Royce was dirty and looked like a homeless man. Irene was going to be furious once she found out how dirty her bed was. Sophie was more worried about that than the possibility of fighting another Predator.
Royce let out a sigh of relief. "This bed feels nice, why not lay in it?"
"It feels weird," Sophie wrinkled her nose.
Isabelle sent her a look of sympathy. The girl was still having trouble adjusting.
Royce merely snickered at her comment, closing his eyes. "Not me, I hated sleepin' on the fuckin' ground, on the dirt. Never once relaxing or comfortable."
It was awkwardly silent for a few moments before Isabelle decided to speak up. She hated having to ask, but Sophie had promised them. "Um, do you have it?" Isabelle quietly asked.
Sophie rolled over towards her desk and pulled open a drawer. She tossed them a paper bag, to which, Royce immediately sat up and snatched the paper bag. He pulled out a roll of hundred-dollar bills, held together by rubber bands. There were several in there. "How much?" Royce inquired. "Two-thousand?"
"Three-thousand." Sophie immediately answered. "That should keep the lights on for a while."
"An extra thousand? Aw, aren't you a sweet thing?" Royce teased Sophie before handing his partner the bag. She sat up and grabbed a backpack, tossing it to Israeli woman. Isabelle looked at Sophie with confusion. "Has some of my clothing, it should fit you considering I'm taller than you," Sophie said. "And some other supplies for your journey to…where ever you're going."
Royce and Isabelle had been debating over what to do next since returning to Earth. Isabelle wanted to live a quiet, normal life while Royce wanted to return to be the elite mercenary that he was before. They both loved each other but their different lifestyles could possibly tear them apart.
"You sure you want to do this?" Isabelle asked Sophie, not wanting her to get in trouble for stealing from her parents.
"I'm positive," Sophie replied. "My parents are loaded, and I want you to be able to start a new life."
"They're going to be so pissed with you." Isabelle reasoned.
Sophie snickered. "I've been through worse than getting yelled at haven't I?"
"Sophie could get away with murder and her parents still wouldn't get mad at her," Royce added. "They still feel sorry for poor, poor victim Sophie."
Sophie threw a pillow at Royce for that. Isabelle rolled her eyes and just accepted the money, she knew it was right. She had changed the most out of all of them, grown the most too as Sophie was the youngest. Though the past couple of weeks, Isabelle noticed that is was Sophie who was struggling the most to the return to civilization.
"You doing alright, Soph?" Isabelle then asked.
"I grin and bear it." Sophie's answer was short.
Isabelle frowned and narrowed her dark eyes. "I'm being serious, Sophie. Don't give me a bullshit answer."
Although Sophie detested talking about it, what choice did she have? Especially in the first few weeks of being home. Isabelle waited for an answer while Royce pretended not to care. "I hated being alone. Couldn't stand it. I was paranoid after the attack," Sophie let out. "Now, all I want is to be left alone. No one back here understands that. I can't relax, I can't sleep, I have to be busy and do something. I'm just sitting around doing nothing."
Royce studied her for a moment. "You miss it don't you? The Game Preserve."
She frowned at him, before glancing underneath the bed at the Combi-Stick once more.
"Yes." Sophie reluctantly admitted.
Author's note: I apologize for the long wait, overwhelmed by school and work. Plus I was kinda unsure of how to go about my ideas for this story. Sorry if they're just talking, but I don't want to end up like Michael Bay x'D Need some character interaction. Reviews would be nice! Hope you enjoyed it!